THE OLYMPIA, GLASGOW

The Olympia is located at Bridgeton Cross in Glasgow and is one of the city’s finest examples of historical conservation and regeneration.

Delivered on behalf of Clyde Gateway, working in partnership with Page/Park Architects, the building represents the upgrade of the former Olympia Cinema (undertaken as part of the city’s commitment to improving civic infrastructure for the 2014 Commonwealth Games), involving a mix of historical preservation and modern building enhancement.

The original facade was retained in order to maintain its memorable contribution to the surrounding area with alterations to the existing building comprising fabric enhancement and internal reconfiguration to deliver a boxing centre, library and cafe with offices constructed as a large, new build extension.

Three qualities shaped the ultimate response to the final product – the retained elaborate columned façade facing the Cross, the Olympia ‘signed’ corner turret and the memory of the original cinema use; the original turret corner with a new sprial staircase; The retained columned façade gives visual accentuation to the first-floor accommodation echoed in the elaboration of the glazed façade of the new element.

This project was delivered under a Design and Build contract by CCG and remains remarkably true to the original architectural intention. Critical in its achievements is the saving of the important edge wall to the Cross with its associated community memories, and how that architectural remnant has both influenced the internal organisation and cued the framing of the new activities.